Flood-fence



. PATENT OFFICE.

MATHEW M. wrrHRow,

FLOOD- or SHERMAN, ILLINOIS.

FENCE.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 284,528, dated September 4, 1883.

' Application filed October 27, 1882. (No model.)

To'all wk/omit may concerns Be it known that I, MATHEW M. WITH- ROW,;2L citizen of the United States, residing at Sherman, in the county of Sangamo'n and ject to overflow; and it consists in the peculiar jeot being to provide a portable-fence for use on river and creek bottom lands that are subconstruction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described.

a In the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a perspectiveview of my improved fence; Fig. 2,

an end elevation of same; Fig. 3, a similar View, showing the panels turned Fig. 4 is a detail view.

The fence is composed of panels A A, placed end to end. These panels consist of the upright bars or posts B B, to which are secured the horizontal boards or slats G. The. bottoms of the panels are closely boarded, as shown, to prevent drift-wood and rails from going between them and breaking the boards down; and

off, andalso to prevent hogs from going through. The panels are attached or anchored to the ground by means of the anchors D. These anchors or stakes are composed of metal, each having at its upper end an eye,

ring, or hook, a, or, if desired, a hinge. Secured to each anchor is. a metallic plate, I), which is split and the ends bent or turned down" somewhat,,(se e Figs. 2 and 4,) thereby aiding to keep the anchor from being withdrawn from the ground. These anchorsare turned down into the ground by means of a handle similar to that of a post-auger. To the lowerend of each post or upright B is secured a screw eyebolt, hook, or hinge, 0. These hooks c engage with the eyes or hooks won-the anchors, as shown, making a hinged fence. By means of the braces E, which are fastened to the middle post of each panel, and which are attached to stakes d, that are driven into the ground, the panels are held in an upright position. The bracesand stakes are placed upstream from the fence. When a flood or pressure of water comes against the fence, the force thus exerted causes the braces to draw the stakes out of the ground, allowing the panels to fall over into the stream, (see Fig. 3,) and thus prevent them from being carried away by the water. After the water has subsided the fence can be easily rea stored to its upright position, as each panel is separately hinged and can be easily raised, and the stake again driven into the ground.

The fence is portable, and can be easily:

taken up and moved from place to place, as each panel is made separate.

suitable for all sections of the country, as the anchors that hold the fence to the ground can be turned down into the ground in less time than it takes to dig post-holes.

If the-fence is built on a prairie in a windy country, all that is necessary is to attach a brace of wood or wire to each post and make it fast at one end to the ground. 7

The fence is also I- am aware that flood-fences have hereto fore been hinged to posts or anchors driven into the soil, so that the fence will fall un 980 der thepressure of a flood, but without danger of being carried away, and also that such I fences have been held in an uprightposition by means of braces and stakes. I am also aware that fence-posts have been anchored by turned lips. These, however, I do not broadly claim; but, I

Having thus described my invention, what I claim asnew, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is I The combination, in a flood-fence, of the panels A A, having hooks c a near their lower edges, the braces E E, attached to saidpanels at ornear the top on theside opposite to said hooks, the stakes d d, attached to the lower ends of said braces, and the anchors D D,

. means of disks or plates having downwardly- 

